Karaa al-Saif - Summer Reading
by Mini Goat
Summary: Sammy and Jon have a conversation in the garden while Wil and Mary ponder their lives post-Survivor


**_AN:_**_ A bit of light fluffiness after the traumatic events of Survivor. Everything is mostly back to normal for now._

**Karaa al-Saif - Summer Reading**

It was late summer and Sammy was laying on the bench in the garden, her legs hanging over the armrest on the side by her knees. By next year she'd be too tall to do this if she remembered correctly but in the meantime it was reasonably comfortable still. Her long legs poked out of denim shorts and her shoulder length golden hair spilled around her head under her while she read the latest copy of Scientific American. It was a little behind her own, or rather her original self's research but there were topics she wasn't an expert in that she had plenty of interest in. Especially medical ones that she had only touched upon while she played with the idea of being a micro-biologist a few years back.

She was so intent in her reading that she never heard the back door slide open but she did feel his presence as soon as he was physically near her. She wondered about that sometimes, how she could always sense that it was him but it had been useful in the field and he'd admitted he was able to do the same thing when it came to her.

"Wacha doin', Carter?" He asked her in a sing song voice that made her grin ear to ear.

"Reading up on quantum biology." She told him, never removing the magazine from her nose.

"Sounds fascinating." He said teasingly but she knew that he would secretly borrow her magazine and read it too even if he didn't understand all of it.

Jon plopped down on the grass in front of the bench and positioned himself so she'd absently run her fingers through his hair while she read. Sure enough less than a minute passed before she started petting him. It was something he'd discovered she'd absently do on team nights as long as he and the guys didn't make a big deal about it. Sam wasn't much into sports and would curl up on the couch reading while they watched football or some other sport. Now he kind of had her trained to do it automatically.

Jon smiled and closed his eyes contentedly.

* * *

"Wil, come see this." Mary told him chuckling.

Will followed his wife to the sewing room in the back of the house and looked out the window. After a moment he grinned. "Should we get her a dog or something?"

"I think she already has a puppy." Mary said, giggling.

"That poor kid. He looks pretty happy though so I'm not sure who has who trained here."

They watched the casual gesture of affection between the two teens for a couple more minutes, Wil's arm around Mary's waist.

"Jack called the other day to see if the therapy sessions were helping." Mary told her husband.

"What did you tell him?"

"That she's all right for the most part. I think Ruth's call the other day about the other trials helped a lot. That boy is going to jail for a very long time." Mary finished her statement with a savage tone. If it was up to her that kid would be finishing his week inside a box. Under some dirt.

"I'm almost glad she is who she is. Any other kid her age would be so traumatized they would need a lot more than a few weeks of therapy and some hugs to get through it."

"He's most of the reason she's ok." Mary said gesturing to Jon. "When the X-303 was hijacked out of its hangar, I had a front row seat to his reaction when he realized Sam was in danger. I think if he could have, he'd have personally torn the walls down to rescue her."

"There were rumors about them off and on for years. I never paid much attention as it wasn't my business and frankly what two adults do in the privacy of their own home shouldn't be the military's business either but it was pretty obvious on base that they were close. He used to hang out in her lab all the time doing his paperwork. She never shooed him out."

"It's kind of sweet they are getting a second chance. I'm sorry that they had to deal with the things they have recently. This was supposed to be their chance at normal."

"Same here. Hopefully things will settle down now some. Other than that nonsense with her friend Lynn's mom."

"Oh! I forgot to tell you what Jack did." She said chuckling.

"Oh?"

"Well, you know how she tries to make Lynn late for anything fun so she's stressed out and upset half the time she's there?"

"Yup. I've reminded the woman more than once that the chores can wait." Wil told her.

Mary giggled girlishly. "You know how intimidating Jack looks in his blues with all that chest candy to a civilian, right?"

"Well not you because you aren't intimidated by anyone but yah."

"So she pulled it again - only this time Jack was picking her up with Sammy in tow because it was on his way to the airport and he'd wanted to make sure she was handling things ok with the trial anyway. Apparently Jack was in no mood for anyone's nonsense and basically threatened to become personally involved in his 'niece's life' if Lynn's mom didn't back off right now. Lynn still caught crap for it later because of course her mom accused her of putting Jack up to it which is, laughable at best. How is a fourteen year old girl going to make a grown assed decorated Air Force General do anything against his will?"

"I wish I'd seen that. I'll have to call Jack and get his version. That's a riot."

"It really is. I'd have loved to see her nasty little face when he offered to get involved."

"Does she have _any_ idea who he is?" Wil asked.

"She might now. He told her that only one woman gets to delay him from a meeting with the president and that woman wasn't currently there." Mary told him laughing.

"I'm kind of surprised he was able to keep a straight face. Jon is constantly making clone jokes."

"I am too. She's asking for trouble by causing Sammy grief. If the way the kids are protective of that girl is any indication, they close ranks real quick on anyone they care about."

"They were always like that. The Quill kid went from being at loose ends to being SG-1 pro-tem until Daniel got back from wherever he was. They would still all jump to help him if he called for them."

"I don't envy her if they decide they have had enough. I'm likely to side with them too." Mary admitted.

"Speaking of that, Sammy and I are working out some code language for it's time to perform an extraction. I don't see that situation turning out any way other than that girl is going to have to cut ties at least with her mother."

"I have no problem with that. Family isn't always blood." Mary said firmly looking at her foster daughter who she loved as much as she did her own boys. She loved the brown haired boy the girl was in love with too. She had an added unfair advantage of knowing exactly what kind of people they would grow up to be and was very glad to have gotten to know them both as adults. Wil's boss was remarkably kind-hearted and Sam was fiercely loyal and absolutely brilliant.

* * *

"How long do you think they are going to stare at us?" Sammy asked Jon idly.

John chuckled. "I think it's a parents thing. My mom used to watch me lay in the grass for hours. I have no idea why."

"M'k." she said with a smile. "I wouldn't know. My dad was rarely home and when he was he was busy arguing with my brother. Besides you couldn't see me in the willow tree."

"I think it's kind of cute." Jon told her.

"It is. They know who we are and they still care anyway."

"It's got to be weird for them raising adults in teenage bodies."

"I'd say it's the same level of weird as being an adult in a teenager body." She said with a giggle.

"No giggling Carter." He said absently.

Sammy rolled over and sat up partially to stick her face in his. "What's the matter sir? Can't take it." She purred at him.

"Gah, don't do that!" he exclaimed, pulling away. They had already gotten in enough trouble acting on their feelings last month. He didn't want to be banned from the Amos house too.

Sammy giggled helplessly. "Still so much fun to tease." She told him and gave him a beaming grin.

"You're evil Carter." He admonished her but he grinned back.


End file.
